Real lives

November 2002, A Little Help Was Needed To Be A Happy Family

“I never thought that my sister Bermet and I might find ourselves in a children’s institution. We lived in a big friendly family: our parents, Granny and 5 children. Bermet is two year younger than me. I had been waiting for the moment when she would be 6 and we could walk together to school. But instead… we went together to Belovodski Institution” started his story Kadyr, 9 year old boy.

“All our trouble started when we moved from our native town Jalalabat to the capital and settled in a small shelter-like-house in a migrant area near Bishkek. Our father did not find a job and went back. Soon we were told that we got married another woman and did not want to see us. That news made mummy sick and she was put in a hospital. Granny died. Our elder brother and sister had to work at Osh Market and placed us to the “Ak Jol” Centre for street children. They were very busy and did not visit us often. Mummy felt worse. At the beginning we visited her, but sometimes she did not recognize us, the doctor told that it was because of narcosis.

We stayed in the “Ak Jol” Centre for some months and then were referred to Belovodski Institution. We know that mummy loves us and needs us.”

Asia, Kadyr’s mother, is still weak but she is dreaming that soon she would be better and they all would return to Jalalabad. In the meanwhile, the social worker from the UNICEF supported project together with the local community has helped the children return to school. Once a week after school they drink tea with the UNICEF psychologist and tell her about their plans. Of late, their elder sister often comes home from her work earlier to join them. She says: “We are a happy family; we just needed a little help to realize that”.